“We’re adding an elite defenceman and a guy who plays our kind of hockey. This is a guy who likes it crude, who likes it black and blue. And that’s how we want to play … for us, I think it’s a very important day.”

— Brian Burke, Jan. 31, 2010

So here we are, exactly one year removed from the day when the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenceman Dion Phaneuf and goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère in a pair of blockbuster trades that were supposed to change the culture of the dressing room and set the team on a winning path.

Forgive us for being impatient, but what — if anything — is different?

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A year ago, the Leafs had the worst record in the Eastern Conference and were a dozen points out of a playoff spot. Today, Toronto has moved up three spots in the standings — with plenty of help from Ottawa, New Jersey and the New York Islanders — but the Leafs are now 14 points below the playoff line.

The special teams remain a mess. The goaltending remains wildly inconsistent. The offence still has difficulty locating the back of the net. And Phaneuf? Well, aside from taking over the captaincy and delivering some highlight-reel hits, his overall impact on the team’s success has been minor.

So what does this mean? That the trades with Calgary (which brought Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie) and Anaheim (Giguere) were failures? That general manager Brian Burke, who in a single day made over 30% of the roster, should lob another grenade inside the dressing room and start all over again?

Not exactly. It just means that more time might be needed. A rebuild does not happen overnight. And when you lack first-round draft picks, it takes considerably longer than 12 months.

But with the Feb. 28 trade deadline less than a month away and the Leafs no closer to a playoff spot than they were at this time last year, do not be surprised if further changes are coming.

The question is what, if any, effect they will have.

“It’s too early to say,” Burke told reporters, when asked when trade talk would be heating up. “A month is a long time for a general manager. If you really want to, you can put a deal together — a big deal even — in 72 hours.”

Already there is talk is that the Leafs have received interest for winger Kris Versteeg, while Giguère and defenceman François Beauchemin are believed to be in play.

Few expected this scenario when the season began, especially after Phaneuf told reporters in the summer that “anything short of [making the playoffs] is unacceptable.” Based on his impact last season, when the Leafs went 13-10-3 with him in the lineup, it seemed like more than just wishful thinking.

But here we are, exactly one year after the trade, with the Leafs inching closer to another lost season.

Maybe this is our fault. Maybe we expected that making Phaneuf the captain would automatically help the defenceman regain the form that made him a Norris Trophy finalist in 2006-07. Maybe we believed Burke when he said that the 25-year-old would make “a big statement as to where we’re going and what’s needed to play here.”

As it stands, the only statement being made is that rebuilding a team without the aid of first-round draft picks is not a guarantee for success.

This is not to blame Phaneuf, although his offensive production (one goal and 10 assists in 33 games) has left a lot to be desired. But rather, this is another example that Burke’s blueprint does not always produce the desired results.

Not that the other way is necessarily foolproof. The Edmonton Oilers are rebuilding with draft picks and youth. But, for the second year in a row, they are at the bottom of the NHL standings.

Of course, most figure they will climb out in due time. But then again, the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets have yet to turn picks into star players.

At least those teams get another top draft pick to try to build around. For the Leafs, whose first-round draft pick once again belongs to the Boston Bruins, there is no such consolation prize.

So here we are, one year after the Phaneuf trade, wondering if the next 12 months will be any better.

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